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because, he said, “it doesn’t become suddenly ‘active.’ I was told to decrease
the ‘dose’ when I take it.” Abdul-Rahman’s eagerness to get fast results from
therapy may explain why he was presently seeking allopathic treatment, and
his comments foreshadow a theme that we will see repeated in later chapters.
While many in Kerala prefer a treatment that is more “pleasant” to undergo,
such as the application of the ayurvedic talapodichil “mudpacks,” many choose
allopathic therapy, along with its side-eff ects and more abrasive procedures,
because they heard it gives quick results. Many are pressured to return to work
or school or they feel hurried for other reasons, and the speed of allopathy
accommodates these pressures.
Abdul-Rahman told us he continues to use a Japanese healing system called
Okiyama, which he started before seeking allopathic psychiatric therapy:
Yes, it’s a treatment system. It’s called “divine light Okiyama.” It comes from
Japan. Divine light. “Divine light.” It is a divine light that we cannot see. Th ey
give “divine light”... Th at is, they give it to the forehead at fi rst and to the
“medulla oblongata.” After that they will do it to our important points.Biju: Where is this light coming from?Abdul-Rahman: We can’t see where the light is coming from. Th e reason is that
since my problem must change by whatever means, the fi rst “time” there was
some change. Before going to Okiyama, I had terrible restlessness. Before going
to Okiyama, I had terrible restlessness and rolling [sic]. So the fi rst day I went
to Okiyama for the “fi rst treatment,” they gave me “divine light.” Having given
that the fi rst day, I felt giddiness and swinging in my head. We know that there
is only one side to them. Th ey give “divine light” only to the forehead. Th us my
head swung and rolled and all that. I fell down. Th ere is a center at Punalur.Biju: Isn’t God [daivam] involved?Abdul-Rahman: Yes, God [daivam]... faith in God [īśvara]. Th ey also believe
in only one god.Although some therapies used by people suff ering distress, such as ayurveda
and siddha, developed in the subcontinent and have been practiced in south-
ern India for centuries, people in Kerala also patronize local practitioners of
therapies from other parts of the world, such as homeopathy (from Germany),
Okiyama and reiki (from Japan), and naturopathy (from the United States).
I did not come across any other description of Okiyama in the course of my
research. According to Abdul-Rahman, this therapy bears some similar-
ity to the transnational Japanese healing system known as “reiki,” a healing